India’s Charanjot Singh has secured a direct invitation to the EA SPORTS FC tournament at the Esports Nations Cup (ENC) 2026, the Esports Foundation (EF) announced. The inaugural nation-based esports competition will run in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 2 to 29, 2026, with the EA SPORTS FC event scheduled for November 17 to 22.
EF said the EA SPORTS FC tournament will feature 128 players and a prize pool of USD 600,000 (~INR 5.7 crore). The organiser allocated 64 direct invitations via the FC Pro World Rankings, awarding one spot to the highest-ranked eligible player from each country or territory. The remaining 56 places will be decided via regional online qualifiers from July 29 to August 9, with a further eight slots reserved for wildcard invitations.
Singh, 23, earned his invite as India’s highest-ranked player in the FC Pro World Rankings. EF noted he has represented India at the Hangzhou Asian Games, FIFAe Nations Cup and FC Pro World Championship, and has won domestic titles including the eISL Season 3 championship.
“I have had the opportunity to compete on some incredible stages over the years, and every tournament has taught me something new while helping me grow as a player. The Esports Nations Cup is the next big challenge in that journey, bringing together the best players from across the world on one of the biggest stages in esports. Now the focus is on making the most of this opportunity and delivering the level of performance I know I’m capable of,” Singh said.
The EA Sports FC online qualifiers will run through the in-game FC Pro Live Events mode and the Battlefy tournament platform, with a ladder-based Phase 1 from July 29 to August 2 and playoffs hosted on Battlefy. EF said a maximum of two players from each country or territory can qualify for ENC 2026, including direct invitees. With Singh already taking one of India’s spots, one additional Indian player can still qualify through the South Asia regional qualifier, where four players advance to the main event.
